put it in the sun, and it smells no more?

[bizzbeth]

i heard if you put something that smells, like idk, socks, etc, in the sun for a while, that the ultraviolent rays remove the smell. ive never tried this before, but when my mom threw out my old sneakers that i love, i had to dig them our of the bin and wash them. And they still smell like garbage.
So im asking if this little trick works before i attempt to ruin my shoes even further.

[CaterpillarGirl]

Ooh, I read this in Making Stuff and Doing Things, I think. It seems logical, sunlight is apparently antibacterial, and it's typically bacteria that make things smell so bad. If you put your shoes in direct sunlight nothing bad is gonna happen to them, unless you leave them there for weeks and weeks (which could make them fade etc).

[nikki626]

well, since sun dleaches things, i can imagine it could also wipe out a stinkie stink...a prof i had years back said when she lived in spain she would never use bleach, she would just wash her sheets n lay them out in the sun to dry and they were always SUPER white...

[Miss Marie]

sunlight kills bacteria, so I bet it would work...

[PerfectlyFuckedUp]

Ooh, I read this in Making Stuff and Doing Things, I think. It seems logical, sunlight is apparently antibacterial, and it's typically bacteria that make things smell so bad. If you put your shoes in direct sunlight nothing bad is gonna happen to them, unless you leave them there for weeks and weeks (which could make them fade etc).

Making Stuff and Doing Things? is that a magazine? I've never heard of it. It sounds like somthing I should read.

[DarcyFox]

she would just wash her sheets n lay them out in the sun to dry and they were always SUPER white...

I'm a bit confused?? don't most people lay there sheets and wahing in the sun anyway? or did she do it differently?

[CaterpillarGirl]

Ooh, I read this in Making Stuff and Doing Things, I think. It seems logical, sunlight is apparently antibacterial, and it's typically bacteria that make things smell so bad. If you put your shoes in direct sunlight nothing bad is gonna happen to them, unless you leave them there for weeks and weeks (which could make them fade etc).

Making Stuff and Doing Things? is that a magazine? I've never heard of it. It sounds like somthing I should read.

Yeah it's a compilation of different articles from zines... It's pretty awesome book, it has so much random shit in it. You can get it here, it's pretty cheap.

Topics include getting active, direct action, gardening, making a woodstove, solar box cooker, egg replacer, how to make wine, homebrewing, liberated lifestyles, squats, homeschooling, fixing a toilet, audio phone patch, how to make envelopes, shoe repair, silk screening, making rubber stamps, how to juggle, magic tricks, making puppets, how to patch your clothes, putting utensils on your keychain, how to sing, bird feeders, how to play guitar, putting out records, billboard improvement, how to fix your bike, basic car maintenance, building a bike cart, how to take pride in your body, how to sexually stimulate your partner, diy birth control, how to handle an overdose, self defense, knowing your rights, how to live a more fulfilling life, unschooling, starting a fire with friction, making glue from pine sap, making rope, wild food, natural remedies, fire logs from newspapers, rubbing alcohol campstove, composting, diy toothpaste, getting rid of fruit flies, greywater systems, composting toliets, making hanging and floating tents, saving money at the post office, making posters and stencils, packing for tours, places to dumpster dive, making a tape wallet, building a cart-bike, cleaning stamps, blockprinting, fixing a harmonica, diy flowerpots, avoiding dangerous household chemicals, preventing ear infections, how women can pee standing up, menstrual massages, and a few pieces for inspiration.

[luckylucy]

I've heard you can plaster them with backing soda, put them in a plastic bag, and toss the whole concoction in the freezer for a couple of days.

[Jessucka]

I've heard you can plaster them with backing soda, put them in a plastic bag, and toss the whole concoction in the freezer for a couple of days.

The cold in the freezer is supposed to kill the bacteria, but nothin beats a good washing.

[emmalynn]

I've heard you can plaster them with backing soda, put them in a plastic bag, and toss the whole concoction in the freezer for a couple of days.

That totally works. I had this pair of shoes that would make my feet smell AWFUL, and mind you, I have never had stinky feet in my life before this. I dumped baking soda inside 'em, stuck the pair in a plastic ziplock, and left it in the freezer for a few days. They came out smelling like roses(though not literally, of course), so that might be a better option instead of leaving them in the sun.

[sycho in the saddle]

I thought if you put something in the sun it might smell more for some reason.

[Tabbycat]

i would think the warmth would make things fester....which usually results in bad smells.

[die-my-darling_x]

i alway thought if you put something in the sun that already smells, it would smell even worse... haha the heat always happens to stink things up

[DarcyFox]

Yup just heat can make things fester and smell but it is the uv rays hitting the item that clean and de-smell it.

Uv rays kill bacteria and bacteria are usually what cause bad smells.

[die-my-darling_x]

Yup just heat can make things fester and smell but it is the uv rays hitting the item that clean and de-smell it.

Uv rays kill bacteria and bacteria are usually what cause bad smells.

Ooooh... makes sense now.